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System of Higher Education in the U.S.A
Fast Facts
- Over 85 percent of adults in the U.S. have completed high school and 27 percent have received a bachelor's degree or higher.
- The average salary for college or university graduates is greater than USD $51,000, exceeding the national average of those without a high school diploma by more than USD $23,000 (2005 U.S. Census Bureau.)
- The U.S. has a reading literacy rate at 98% of the population over age 15, while ranking below average in science and mathematics understanding compared to other developed countries.
- Of the top 200 universities in the world, 103 of them are in the U.S., according to the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities at http://www.webometrics.info/top4000.asp.
Types of Institutions and Programs
Trade / Vocational / Technical Schools
These institutions teach job-specific skills, such as accounting, auto maintenance, secretarial skills, etc. These are mostly private, for-profit schools and have open admission.
Associate Degree Programs / Community Colleges These are institutions that offer two-year degree programs (called an Associate degree) and transfer and articulation programs with four-year universities. They also offer many continuing education and enrichment courses for the community. They offer low tuition and open admission. Some of the community colleges are renowned for the their strong academics and high percentage of transferring students..
Bachelor's Degree Programs / Undergraduate Institutions Bachelors' degrees in the United States are typically designed to be completed in four years of full-time study, although some programs (such as engineering or architecture) can take five years, and some universities and colleges allow ambitious students (usually with the help of summer school courses) to complete them in as little as three years. Usually a completed secondary school education is required for admission to these programs
Graduate Degree Programs Graduate level degrees include the Master of Arts (MA), the Master of Fine Arts (MFA), the Master of Business Administration (MBA), the Master of Science (MS) and the Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD), among others. Students who have already received their first higher education diploma are eligible to apply to graduate programs. Most Master's degrees are awarded after two years of study, although there are some one-year degree programs in certain fields. The Ph.D. is the highest academic degree in the U.S. This degree follows a Master's level degree and typically requires an additional three years of coursework and a lengthy dissertation.
Professional Degree Programs
These are programs that are intended to train practitioners as opposed to academics. Examples are medical, law, journalism, and business degree programs.
Liberal Arts Colleges/Universities A liberal arts college/university offers a curriculum designed to impart general knowledge with a focus on the development of critical thinking and analytical skills. These schools traditionally emphasize interactive instruction (although research is still a component of these institutions). They are known for being residential and for having smaller enrollment, class size, and teacher-student ratios than other undergraduate programs. These institutions also encourage a high level of student-teacher interaction.
A note on the term College vs. University In the past, colleges were primarily undergraduate institutions and universities offered both undergraduate and graduate degrees with a research-related focus, but now there is really no distinction between a university or college. For historical reasons, some institutions that offer undergrad and grad research -related programs are still called colleges (such as Boston or Dartmouth Colleges) and some universities (like Wesleyan University), a liberal arts institution, offers only undergraduate degrees
About Undergraduate Education in the U.S. |
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